


UCHI NO YOSEI

by StoriesAndMagic



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Animals, Fairies, M/M, Nature Magic, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2020-10-29 12:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20796554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoriesAndMagic/pseuds/StoriesAndMagic
Summary: A city folk in the village awakes the curiosity of the creatures of nature, especially of one clumsy fairy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Uchi no yosei means our fairy and it's what Sho said on VSA when Aiba did the fairy pose.
> 
> So I got inspired.

Small raindrops were ramdomly falling on the window glass. The train was taking him somewhere, away from the big city, away from the stress and the craziness of busy days. He wasn’t sure he was going to be happier in the new place, he wasn’t sure he was going to find peace.  
\- One takes peace with him. – He whispered to himself.  
It was going to be a new life, new friends, new job and it was going to be in the country, in a small village of farmers.

He stepped out of the train into the little station. He either had to walk or take one of the bikes for renting. But he was carrying a big suitcase and a backpack. It was late in the afternoon and no one there to ask for a car ride.  
\- What am I doing here?  
He took his phone out and dialed a number. It was that of Kazama-san, the one in charge of the school.  
He introduced himself and told him where he was. The man on the other side of the line giggled a lot and he wasn’t sure it if was his nature or if he was mocking him. When he hung up the phone, he repeated:  
\- What am I doing here?  
He stepped outside and stood waiting. The days were getting longer as spring was almost there, the sky had navy blue tones already because the moon was starting to put its blanket over that part of the planet.  
He distracted himself checking the internet on the phone. Weirdly there was enough coverture there. But then, something caught his eye. On one side of the road, there was a sign made of stone with kanji carved in it. It read ‘Beware of the green butterfly’. For some reason, that gave him the creeps and he started to regret accepting that new job.

He was surprised when he met Kazama-san: he was a young man his age, he had thought he was going to be older. He was afable and as giggly in person as on the phone. He owned an old car not too environment friendly but it served its purpose. Kazama helped him to load his luggage in the car and drove him to the village.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was staying in a restaured traditional country house with little furniture. A futon on the tatami, a Japanese table, some cushions, a bathtub, a kitchen with a kettle, a small house shrine, a toilet, and plenty of flower fields surrounding it. He felt as if he was inhabiting a Miyazaki movie.  
Kazama-san had invited him for breakfast in his house so he could meet his wife, son and talk about his job as the new teacher. He took a bath and decided to stroll to where he remembered from the previous evening.   
He took a look at the fields and breathed in all the scents and the fresh air. It made him feel comfortable. Between the grass, he saw something. He walked closer and picked it up. It was a wooden sign with kanji painted on it.  
\- Beware of the green butterfly. – He read it out loud.  
He frowned and looked around. Some butterflies were already dancing over the flowers and even coming close to him, but none of them was green.  
\- Do green butterflies even exist? – He inquired to the insects.  
The reply was a gust of wind messing his carefully combed hair.   
He took the sign with him, he wanted answers.

On his way to Kazama’s home, he encountered a lady carrying a basket full of vegetables. She stopped to stare at him and he bowed at her politely.  
\- Sakurai Sho desu. I’m the new teacher at the school.  
She was petite and was wearing thick glasses.  
\- You should beware of the green butterfly then. – She said.  
Sho showed her the sign.  
\- What does this mean? Is it yurei? Yokai? Kaiju?  
She looked him up and down.  
\- Nothing like that. It’s uchi no yosei.  
\- A fairy? – Sho was genuinely interested.  
\- Are you deaf, boy? That’s exactly what I said.  
Sho offered to carry the basket for her but she refused. He told her where he was going and she accepted to accompany him.  
\- I love these type of legends. – Sho said.  
She laughed:  
\- It’s not a legend but reality. You see a green butterfly, he appears and you’re forever lost.  
\- It’s not as cute as it sounds. – Sho added. – Fairies are supposed to be benevolent.  
She laughed again:  
\- Oh you city folks! Who said anything about not being good? He appears and you lose everything you’ve ever had.  
\- But that’s…..- Sho protested.  
\- Enough! – Her loud voice made some birds flee from the fields. – I’m not telling you more. Just be careful.  
They continued until Kazama’s house in silence. He thanked her for the help and headed to her own house.  
Sho looked at the wooded sign again and left it under a tree by the house.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

\- Masaki!!!!  
\- Why are tanuki so loud? – A man in his thirties dressed in a flashy green suit was painting purple flowers and planting them on the meadow.  
\- Masaki, Masaki, Masaki – the dog-like animal kept shouting.  
The man got up and looked at it.  
\- Will the green butterfly come out today? There’s somebody new in the village. – The tanuki told him.  
Masaki sighed. Another one.   
\- I only give them what they truly desire so not all of them stay.  
\- But if he does? – Another voice said.  
A brown feathered koel flew to rest on his head.  
Masaki rolled his eyes.  
\- You’re too big. – He told the bird.   
It flew to the ground and Masaki tousled his hair. Then, he smiled at the animals.  
\- Spring is coming so I have to finish putting the flowers here. But I promise that come April, uchi no yosei will return to the village.  
The koel flew away and the tanuki ran in search of beetles. Masaki had alredy smelled the cedar in the stranger’s hair when the wind brought it to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Asumi-san told Sho about the grocery market every Saturday morning. They had started a strange relationship because the lady was weary of him, but he liked her. He was getting used to the peculiarities of the village and its inhabitants. There was something out of the ordinary there, something in the air and in the plants, flowes and trees. Something in the way the wild animals used to come near his traditional house and stare, to then run away when he spoke to them. He never thought he would see a real tanuki in his life, but there was one that always came to visit. Same was happening with the deers. But, as much as he searched, he wasn’t able to find any green butterfly. He wasn’t even sure whether finding it was good or bad omens.  
Sho was adjusting to his new life. He knew the real test would come once the school started, meanwhile he was learning and adapting.

So he decided to go to the grocery market one Saturday morning. Local food was delicious and he wanted to try to cook some on his own. It was sunny, the sky was blue and the scents of the fruits,vegetables and spices filled the air like the most expensive perfumes.  
He waved to Kazama’s wife who was shopping and to Asumi-san who responded with a scowl. Then he saw her approach a young man behind a stand.  
\- You’re not attempting to cut that pumpkin, are you? – She sounded alarmed.  
Sho stopped and looked at them. The young man was tall and giggly, he was wearing a black and white stripped tee, jeans and a red apron. Asumi-san was scolding him fiercely for the way he was handling the plant. Sho walked towards them, he felt curious.  
The other man smiled at him when he saw him. He had a wide, gorgeous smile that Sho liked instantly.  
\- Can I help you? – He asked.  
\- Don’t buy anything from him! – Asumi-san told him – He’s clumsy and distracted.  
The young man giggled.  
\- Those eggplants you have there look fine. – Sho pointed to a huge plant behind the man.  
\- They’re delicious. – He said while grabbing scissors and cutting one off to show Sho. When he got is in his hand, it slipped from it and the young man almost felt to the ground in his attempt to catch it mid air. The eggplant landed on Sho’s feet.  
\- See? - Asumi-san sighed.  
Sho picked it up.  
\- I’ll take it.  
\- It’s a present. – The man told him – For the inconvenience.  
Sho thanked him and chose other vegetables from the ones that were on sale. Asumi-san frowned at them both and left.  
\- Aiba Masaki desu. – The man bowed and Sho bowed back and introduced himself.  
\- I’m the new teacher.  
Masaki smiled.  
\- I have a few kids at home.  
Sho raised his eyebrows.  
\- Some chickens and a pair of bunnies.   
Sho felt relieved for some reason and realised he loved to hear that laugh. He breathed in, smiled back at Masaki and said:  
\- It’s nice here.  
\- Indeed it is. – the other man replied.  
Sho paid him for his products and said goodbye.  
\- I hope to see you soon. – Masaki told him. To which Sho nodded.

When he was a couple of metres away from Masaki’s market stand, he heard him shout:  
\- Beware of the green butterfly!  
Sho didn’t turn his head. Suddenly, he was afraid that if he did, Masaki and his stand would have disappeared. He kept walking until he reached his house.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon light was dimming giving way to the darkness of the evening. Masaki had collected his things and hid them away. It was time to go back to the meadow. He opened the palm of his hand and a firefly flew upwards. It asked him about the new villager, Masaki smiled and said:  
\- He smells of Autumn and I like that. He’ll stay.


	3. Chapter 3

When Sho entered the classroom, a group of small faces looked at him expectantly. Five little boys and five little girls got up and bowed. Like everything in that village, the school was like a Miyazaki designed film. He told the children to sit down and introduced himself as their new teacher. They remained silent and Sho picked the Japanese Grammar book to start the class. He felt shy all of a sudden, observed, not only by the kids but by the nature surrounding the school. By the small flowers that were starting to bloom beside the road, by the trees guarding the school building, by the insects flying around and even by the huge rhinoceros beetle crawling up the wall and out the window. When he warched the rays of sun sneaking into the classroom, he saw something on them. As if dancing on that golden surface, a green butterfly fluttered inside. Sho got up of his seat gasping, the children looked to where he was staring and giggled.  
\- You’re seeing it, ne? – Sakurai sensei asked.  
The children nodded. One of them, raised her arm to speak. Sensei was focused on the butterfly and followed it with his eyes until it went back outside and disappeared. He had a lot of questions in his mind and was going to interrogate Asumi-san about it.  
The girl with the raised arm finally spoke:  
\- We see green butterflies almost every day in the meadows.  
The other children agreed.  
Sho was feeling weird and afraid to ask.  
\- Why should we beware of the green butterfly then?  
\- My grandfather says that there’s a green fairy in the meadows and he’s up to no good. – Another girl replied.  
Some of the kids giggled. Sensei calmed them down and started the lesson, but he couldn’t help to glimpse at the window every now and then.

Late in the afternoon, Sakurai sensei left the school. It had been a fruitful first day, he already knew the kids and they had gotten along well. He decided to walk home although Kazama-kun had offered him a bycicle the previous day. Sho preferred to feel his feet connected to the Earth and to observe and study his surroundings. That village was getting more fascinating and mysterious.  
When he walked past a minka he didn’t remember having seen before, he heard music from an harp coming from inside. He stopped and listened, it was the sound of an old record and not the actual instrument being played. When he was about to resume the walk, he heard a voice:  
\- Can you help me, please?  
Sho ran to the other side of the minka, There was a small vegetables garden with some fruit trees. In the middle of it, with his legs buried in the mud to his knees, Aiba Masaki was standing. The fading rays of the afternoon sun were framing him and his brown hair seemed made of gold. Aiba-san smiled at him:  
\- Sashiburi, Sakurai-san.  
Sho was so mesmerised by the beauty of the young man and the orange lights in the horizon, he forgot to reply.  
\- It rained a lot last night. I thought some seeds would be lost, got here and now I’m stuck. I didn’t take in account that when the water and the soil merge they’re dangerous. – He laughed.  
Sho kept staring at him in disbelief.  
\- Can you pull at my arms and help me to get out? I don’t want to become a negi plant.  
Sho then started to laugh. The scene was so comical but so not out of the ordinary in that place. He did as told and managed to pull Masaki out of the mud. He fell to the ground before getting up again. Then he apologised and thanked Sho profusely.  
\- I can cook you some dinner. – He said.  
Sho was tempted, but he wanted to take a bath and go early to bed.  
\- Another day.  
\- Don’t believe everything Asumi-san tells you, I’m an excellent cook..  
Sho smiled.  
\- I’m sure of it. But I’m tired now. First day at school.  
Masaki got excired and applauded.  
\- How it went? The kids here are great.  
Sho agreed with him and proceeded to explain his day when he remembered something.  
\- I saw a green butterfly. It came inside the classroom.  
The other man opened his mouth wide.  
\- What do you think it means?  
Masaki pondered for a while and finally shrugged.  
\- I don’t know. If uchi no yosei appears, you’re lost forever.  
Sho nodded.  
\- That’s what I’ve been told, But I don’t believe in fairy tales so I won’t make anything out of it.  
The teacher promised to meet with Masaki in the future to have dinner and resumed his march to his house.

When Sho had disappeared from his sight, Masaki looked up to the sky, to the moon that was already there looking down at him with an scolding face.  
\- I’m not, don’t worry, sister. He’s nice and smells good and his hair is soft and his lips are like strawberries but I’m not liking him that way. – He spoke to the moon.  
Then, somebosy chuckled by his side.  
\- You’re a fool fairy, Masaki!  
The young man complained again about the loudness of the tanuki. The animal ran away laughing and Masaki was left standing alone under the moonlight.

Sho was enjoying the hotness of the water and the sweet scents of the bathing herbs. He was sure he was living in another world and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to return to reality. That farmer was certainly beautiful, but he wasn’t up for any type of romance, romances only happened in shoujo manga. He assured himself he had come to that village to work, to experience something new and to change his point of view on a lot of things.  
A big, ginger cat ran inside the bathroom and startling him. Sho got out of the water and put a towel around him. The cat had placed himself on one of the shelves and Sho tried to scare him out, but the feline wasn’t moving.  
\- Okay, you can stay. But only for tonight.  
Sho went to the kitchen to look for something to feed the animal when he heard a melodious voice, like that of a young girl.  
\- You’re dull. I can’t understand why he likes you.  
Sho turned around and saw the cat on the kitchen table.  
\- Did you say that? – He asked.  
\- Dull and stupid.  
Then the cat jumped from the table and ran away.  
Sho almost had a panic attack. He was hyperventilating and shaking. Was he losing his mind? Was that a yurei? Were those the bath herbs hallucinogenic? He grabbed his phone with the intention to call someone, but he realised he didn’t have the phone numbers of the people in the village. Not even the parents of the kids at the school. The thought of packing his bags and leaving immediately crossed his mind. But he couldn’t, he had his duty, he wasn't letting the children down.  
He finally called his motjher because he needed to talk with her.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Sakurai sensei went to the school as usual. He did his job the best way he could and when the kids left, he ran outside to ask some villagers about what had happened the previous night in his house. Kazama luaghed when he told him the strange events, he shook his head and took his kid by the hand to continue their walk. Other inhabitants of the village reacted the same way to Sho’ story or even avoided him when they saw him.   
Asumi-san listened to him and snickered when he finished.  
\- Did you see it, ne?  
Sho wasn’t sure what she was referrng to and told her so, the lady replied:  
\- You sure are slow, boy. The green butterfly.   
\- Oh I did, I did! – Sho’s voice sounded a little scared. He was scared indeed.   
Asumi-san sighed.  
\- I told you to beware.  
\- But I was in class with the childen and it flew in. And now animals are talking.  
Asumi-san shook her head.  
\- That fairy is a brat. Beware of him.  
She left him as confused as he already was.  
\- Him? Who is he? – An alarmed Sho asked. But Asumi-san snickered again and continued walking towards the fields.

Sho decided to walk home too. The afternoon was warm and the sky was turning pink. When he arrived at the minka of Masaki, he found him seated on the grass staring at the horizon.  
\- It’s going to be a windy night. – The young farmer told him.  
Sho stopped and looked at him.  
\- I can smell it. Besides, the sky is dressed as candy floss.  
Sho felt like laughing. That Masaki guy was sure strange. He sat by his side  
\- I have a little time. – Sho said.  
Masaki showed him a small crab he had in the palm of his hand.  
\- He was lost in the rice field and I have rescued him. I dropped him and almost harmed him and now he’s mad at me.  
The crab was moving around his hand. Sho nodded. He wanted to tell him about the cat the previous night, but he was hesitant.  
\- Do animals talk here?  
Masaki smiled and spoke to the crab:  
\- Do you?  
The crab remained silent and kept moving. Masaki looked at Sho:  
\- I don’t think so.  
\- But they do if you see the green butterfly, right? – Continued Sakurai sensei.  
Masaki simply shrugged.  
\- Maybe.  
\- You know what? I think I’ll be heading back to the city when this school term has ended. It’s too weird here. – Sho got up but was stopped by Masaki’s other hand grabbing his wrist.  
\- Wait until summer. Summer days bring magic.  
Sho looked at Masaki’s hand and then into his eyes. He felt something pulling him to the farmer, like a waterfall was pulled by earth’s gravity, like the tides were pulled by the influx of the moon.   
\- What I am doing here? – Sho suddenly asked.  
Masaki let go of his hand and deposited the crab on the ground.  
\- Nothing. It’s good to do nothing and simply live.  
Sho shook his head. He felt he was losing it.  
\- I better go back home, it’s getting late.  
Masaki smiled charmingly at him before saying:  
\- You’re home here. And I owe you dinner.

For some unknown reason, Sho accepted the invitation. Masaki got up excitedly and guided him inside his minka. Then, he excused himself for a moment to go and pick some vegetables. He was followed to the garden by the crab.  
\- Next time you drop me, I’ll pinch your nose, Masaki! – The small animal shouted.  
\- That damned cat almost spoiled everything! – complained the farmer to the carrots and tomatoes he was picking.

Masaki prepared a delicious salad for the both of them and offered him some natto when Sho mentioned he loved it. They drank the beer some men in the village made, which was strong but tasty, and laughed a lot. Sho explained to an interested Masaki how hectic was life in the city, how different from that place everything was. Sho missed his family and friends in the city but was making new friends in the village.

The teacher started to feel a bit sleepy for the effect of the beer, he was feeling soft an mushy.  
\- Why did you say summer days bring magic? – He asked.  
Masaki gifted him with a smile warm like a summer afternoon.  
\- Summer days bring perfumes and colours and the sun. They bring the little insects and the big animals come out to play. Then, the rain comes, fresh and purifying, to paint the valleys greener and the ocean bluer.  
Sho smiled too.  
\- There’s a piano piece called One Summer’s Day that it feels exactly as what you described. If I could find a piano in this village, I’d show you.  
Sho’s eyes started to close. Masaki whispered:  
\- I wish you stayed forever.

Sho reacted before dozing off completely and apologised. He thanked the farmer for the meal and announced he was going back to his house. The wind was already rattling the windows and swaying the trees and plants outside. Thee was a huge full moon in the sky and one of its rays entered in the minka through the door when Masaki opened it to let Sho out. The light touched a green crystal jar on one of the cupboards and it projected green wings on the wooden wall behind Masaki. Sho stopped in his tracks and blinked a few times. Masaki asked him with concern in his voice if he was feeling unwell, but he didn’t move from where he was standing. Sho pointed at him.  
\- You have green wings. You’re a butterfly.  
Masaki turned around and realised what was happening. He shut the door, preventing the moon for intruding again.   
\- She likes to play tricks. – He told Sho, but soon realised that that was making Sho even more wary.  
\- Listen, I really don’t know what’s going on here in this village or who are you, but come summer, I’ll be gone. – Sho stated.  
The sensei opened the door again and stepped outside. A strong gust of wind pushed him to the road. For the first time since his arrival, Sho felt unwelcomed by nature. He ran away as fast as possible. He wanted nothing more than the comfort of a hot bath and the peace of his house.

Masaki ran after Sakurai sensei, but stopped when he saw him disappear into the night. He got furious. He pointed a finger at the moon and then screamed at the wind:  
\- You’re not making it easy!  
The wind pushed at him as well, Masaki tried to keep still but ended up falling on his backside when his foot tangled with a tree root.   
An owl looked down from one of the branches of the tree and rolled his eyes. Masaki laughed. He was a silly fairy indeed.


	5. Chapter 5

Sho woke up on the floor the next morning. The wind and the storm were gone, sunlight was entering through the window and touching him gently. He remembered he was running, trying desperately to reach his house. When he managed to get inside, the cat was sitting on the kitchen table, he fixed his yellow eyes on him and said:  
\- Idiot.  
Sho fainted at that moment.

The feline was now gone and Sho wondered if he had drunk too much, had fallen asleep on the floor and everything was just a dream. He got up, took a bath, prepared breakfast and decided to forget last night. He would have to look for another way to go from the school to his house avoiding Masaki’s minka.

Outside, the sun was bright and the sky was blue, a gentle breeze was carrying the scent of food and the rumble of human voices. It was Saturday and that was the day of the grocery market in the village. Sho tried to turn around and head to the fields, but it was too late. He was already in front of a fruits stall with a smiling Masaki telling one customer how cute the cherries were.  
\- My top three of cute fruits are: cherries, peaches and strawberries. – He said.  
The teacher didn’t speak, just observed. He was so fascinated by the other man, as much as that annoyed him. He wanted to run away from him, he sensed he was no good, but something pulled him towards that green butterfly. Sho gasped. Masaki realised the teacher was there and giggled cheerfully as if nothing had happened the previous night. The lady customer chuckled at Sho.  
\- He has the expression on his face of those who have seen the green butterfly. – She pointed out. Masaki tilted his head cutely.  
\- We were talking about cherries, Karada-san. – He reminded her.  
\- There’s two options here: you are all crazy or the crazy one is me. – Sho deadpanned.  
Masaki and Karada-san started to laugh. Sho frowned.  
\- I see. It’s the first option. – He continued.  
\- You know, Karada-san? He’s the cutest cherry. – Masaki pointed his hand at Sho. – A cherry with wings. – He was referring to the teacher’s full name.  
Masaki averted his gaze and didn’t reply. He continued chatting with his customer and helping her to choose the best pieces for a fruit salad. When Karada-san was gone, Masaki noticed that Sho was still standing there.  
\- You’re like a recently planted tree. – He giggled. – So stiff and proud.  
Sho didn’t know why he hadn’t left. The pull was too strong and he was feeling weaker every day.  
A bee buzzed around Masaki and he jumped backwards childishly.  
\- Don’t you dare!- He told her – You’re all mean.  
\- But we give you honey. – The bee replied.  
Masaki put a finger on his lips signaling her to keep quiet. Then, he looked at Sho who seemed oblivious.  
\- Insects also talk here. – Sho announced.  
Masaki cringed, he had heard. The bee flew away protesting.  
\- Can somebody tell me what the hell is happening? – Sho moved his arms dramatically and Masaki had to stiffle a laugh.  
\- You know who I am? – He walked from behind the stall and took him by the hand. Sakurai sensei didn’t move away.  
\- I’m uchi no yosei, the fairy of this place.  
Sho recalled the words Asumi-san spoke to him when he first met her. He had indeed seen the green butterfly so the mischievous fairy had appeared. But how could a tall, handsome, joyful farmer be a fairy? And what that had to do with a dull, city teacher like him?  
\- I shouldn’t have left the city. – Sho said. – It’s more secure, more comfortable.  
\- But you did and you came and now you’re losing everything. As the legend says.  
Sho chuckled, he was certainly losing his sanity.  
A couple of customers approached Masaki’ stall and he had to go to serve them. Sho waited.  
\- If I bring you a piano and you play that One Summer’s Day piece, will you stay? – Masaki told him when the customers were gone. – I wish you didn’t return to the city.  
\- I can’t go back now. – He replied – I’ve just lost everything I had.  
Masaki smiled. That sunflowers smile he gifted to the world, his eyes were sparkling and he messed his hair with his hands.  
\- Bring me that piano. – Sho added – I’ll play for you.  
Masaki cheered and offered him a peach. Sho smiled back. He felt content.

He returned home in the afternoon after spending the morning helping Masaki in the market. The villagers didn’t pay much attention to him and, for the first time, behaved as if he was one of them and not the stranger man who had come from the depths of the big, mean city. Asumi-san rolled her eyes when she saw them together.  
\- He’s the most fool of the fools. Don’t trust him. – She told Sho about Masaki, but the fairy simply laughed and Sho laughed with him.  
When he entered the kitchen of the traditional house he was living in, to make some dinner with the vegetables Masaki had given him, the cat appeared. The animal climbed to the counter and stared at him. Sho ignored him.  
\- You love him. – The cat finally said.  
Sho continued with what he was doing and pretended he didn’t hear anything.  
The melodious voice of the feline reverberated on the walls.  
\- It’s fine. He likes you. I can’t understand why, but he does.  
Sho snickered and turned around to face the animal.  
\- Well, I don’t like you.  
The teacher filled a ceramic bowl with fresh milk and put it on the counter  
\- It’s your loss. – The cat said before sipping on the white liquid.


	6. Chapter 6

Sakurai sensei slept like a child and was awoken by the chirping of the birds at dawn. The cat had spent the whole night at his feet and was now watching the feathery beings from the window ledge.  
\- Ohayou. – The feline said when he heard him move. Sho replied and then giggled.  
\- I can’t believe I’m really chatting with a cat. But then again, nothing here is normal.  
\- What is normal? – The cat replied.  
Sho shrugged his shoulders off and went to the kitchen. He had classes that day.

While he was silently eating, looking at the pinkish horizon and the sky turning pale blue, he made a note to call his mother to tell her he was staying forever in that place. He wasn’t the same anymore, everything had changed for him. He smiled fondly remembering his late obaachan used to tell him the only thing certain in life was change.  
The cat walked past him towards the garden.  
\- I do love him. – Sho said loud enough for the animal to hear. Then, he lowered his voice: - I’m glad he likes me.

Sakurai sensei was ready. He grabbed his backpack and notebooks and started his morning walk to the school. He waved at some of the villagers when he passed by them. He noticed they didn’t stare at him as if he was a weird creature or a strange plant, they were treating him like one of them for the first time.  
Suddenly, the teacher heard a high-pitched voice that was approaching.  
\- Sho-chan!!! Sho-chan!!! – It screamed.  
Sho looked around and couldn’t find the source of the voice. Until a tanuki came running to him.  
\- Sho-chan!!! – The dog-like animal kept shouting.  
Sakurai sensei stopped on his tracks and had to contain his laughter.  
\- Are tanukis always so loud? – He asked. – What now?  
The animal started to run in circles around him.  
\- It’s no time for jokes, Sho-chan. This is really serious. You have to come with me, Masaki is in trouble and you must save him.  
Sho gasped. He couldn’t be late to school, the children were waiting for him.  
\- I…I…have classes now. – He stuttered.  
\- Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. – The tanuki bit the hems of his trousers to pull him towards Masaki’s minka.  
Sho finally agreed to follow him and they ran to Masaki’s orchard. The uchi no yosei was sitting on a pool of mud, holding one hand with his other hand and with a grimace of pain on his face. When Sho saw him, he couldn’t hide the smile.  
\- He’s hurt. – The tanuki said.  
\- It hurts. – Masaki added.  
The scene was so comical that Sho thought he was still sleeping in his bed and having one of those surrealistic dreams.  
\- The bee finally stung? – Sho asked while squatting down carefully on the mud to check Masaki’s hand.  
\- No, it was an eggplant. – The fairy replied. Sho let out a roar of laughter.  
\- It’s not funny – he continued – What do I say to the doctor? That an eggplant has bit my finger?  
Sho cackled, tears filling his eyes. How could he leave back to the city? There was no place in the world that gave him such joy.  
\- It’s an angry eggplant. – The tanuki added, which made Sho lose it completely.  
\- Seriously, I was going to cut it and, when I grabbed it, it stabbed my finger with its spine. I fell down on my bum. The spine is inside.  
Sho watched him with tenderness and raised a hand to caress his brown hair.  
\- I’ll help you up and take you to the hospital, but can’t you do magic or something to remove it?  
The tanuki grunted and Masaki giggled, the expression of pain disappearing from his face.  
\- I think you still have to learn a lot about how things work. – The fairy told him.  
Sho shrugged off, then helped him to stand up. The racoon-dog guided them to the big wooden house they called hospital.

Sakurai sensei didn’t recall seeing a doctor so elderly in his whole life. The man had a long moustache and a bald head, no teeth and a small frame. But he was energetic and giggly.  
\- Only a kiss can remove the spine of an eggplant from your finger, Masaki.  
Sho thought he had heard wrong, but he realised he didn’t when the doctor repeated the same sentence pointing at him.  
Masaki put his swollen finger in front of Sho’ sight.  
\- Kiss it better. – He said.  
Sho obliged. After brushing his lips on the injured digit, he stared into Masaki’s eyes. The fairy was blinking and Sho simply cupped his face and kissed his lips.  
\- I like you a lot, Sho-chan. – Masaki said afterwards.  
Sho nodded and then remembered it was getting late for his classes. He thanked the doctor and held Masaki’s hand to drag him out of the big wooden house.  
\- He’s going to play the piano for us! You’re invited! – Masaki shouted out at the physician when they walked out.  
Sho stopped and let go of the fairy’s hand.  
\- What?  
Masaki smiled charmingly.  
\- I’ve found a piano, you promised. Don’t you think the villagers would love to hear your music?  
The teacher smiled broadly and then hugged him.  
\- I like you a lot, Masaki. – He said.  
He raced towards the school, grasping the notebooks in his hands.

Sakurai sensei sat at his desk in the classtoom, opened the book to start the lesson, but then glimpsed outside a green butterfly flying all over the green leaves of a beech. So he decided to close the book and announce he was going to tell them about the old stories he had known through the years. The childred listened mesmerised when he explained about a place called the path of the wind. And a story about a spirit named Water Traveller. He also talked about a Himawari-kun, an enchanted frog and even a haunted painting.  
The children applauded when he finished and the teacher smiled satisfied. He couldn’t wait to play the One Summer’s Day tune for all of them to enjoy.


	7. Chapter 7

When he was a kid, Sho never liked summer. It was hot and humid and he sweated a lot and got tired easily. He had too much free time and only a couple of friends, he got bored and annoying. As he grew up, he learnt to enjoy the warm evenings and the red sunrises, the various scents of plants in the air and the beauty of nature in plenitude. Now summer had almond eyes, brown bangs, the brightest smile and all the sunshine a human body could contain. Oh and butterfly wings. Sho smiled and looked at Masaki. The fairy was staring open mouthed at him, enthralled with the music he was playing on the piano. Every note seemed to fly out of his fingers and become sparks of magic.  
The whole village had gathered in the meadow painted with colourful flowers by Masaki’s hand. The dandelions were swaying to the gentle breeze, the poppies laughing at the sky with their glossy scarlet dresses. They all wanted to listen to Sho’s music. The teacher felt proud and looked at those who knew, with gratefulness in his eyes: Kazama and his family, Asumi-san, the strange doctor, Karada-san, his pupils at the school.   
A cat and a tanuki were laying on the grass, moving their tails to the rhythm of the wind.  
Men had helped him to put the piano up there by Masaki suggestion. They all had carried chairs and cushions to sit on for the improvised concert.  
He played One Summer’s Day thinking about Masaki and what he said that night in his minka. The rain would soon come and make everything more vivid: the trees, the flowers, the fields, the sea. Then, autumn would calm nature down, embrace it and transform it into cozyness. Afterwards, he played more tunes he knew. The villagers applauded and cheered him. When the concert was over, Asumi-san treated them all to tea and apple pie. She scowled at Masaki and warned Sho:  
\- You’ll become a fool just like him.  
\- I am one already. – Sho replied.

By mid afternoon, everybody was back in the village to continue with their lives. Sho and some men took the piano to his house where he had prepared a room for it. Then, he ran to the corn field where they said Masaki had gone. He found him in the middle of it. He was peeling the leaves off of a corn cob while chanting out loud:  
\- He likes me, he likes me not.  
The blue afternoon sky was starting to be smidged with white clouds like playful little bunnies. The light framing the fairy, drawing him like the extraordinary creature he was.  
\- He likes me!!! – Masaki shouted out.  
\- What are you doing? – Sho asked.  
A brown feathered koel flew to rest on the fairy’s head.  
\- Do you always have to explain everything to him? – The bird inquired.  
Masaki chuckled.  
\- Sakurai sensei is slow and you’re too big.  
The koel pecked on the corn offered by Masaki and flew away.  
\- I’m asking this wise cob whether you like me or not. It says you do. – Masaki answered.  
Sho walked closer and put his hands around the fairy’s waist.  
\- Of course I do. I like you with all my might. You only had to pop that question to me.  
Masaki giggled, then kissed Sho.  
\- Your hair brings the scent of cedar wood. – Masaki told him later. Uchi no yosei and Sakurai sensei hugged until something made Masaki trip and the two fell to the ground.   
Sho cackled while Masaki protested and scolded a group of ants that were entering and exiting their nest. The fairy explained to the teacher that they had pushed him and that was the reason he had tripped and causing them both to fall.  
\- They’re telling me we were covering the entrance of the nest with our huge, smelly feet.  
\- This is so absurd. – Sho stated – But I love it.

When the night arrived, Masaki took Sho by the hand and guided him to the train station. Once there, he squatted in front of the carved stone with the ‘beware of the green butterfly’ kanji. The fairy erased it with a swift movement of his hand. Then looked up at Sho.  
\- A summer storm is coming, lightning is going to hit the wood sign and it will disappear.  
Sho squatted down by his side and touched the soft surface of the stone.  
\- Why? – He asked.  
Masaki chuckled.  
\- I always have to explain everything to you, indeed.  
Then he sighed and stared into Sho’s eyes.  
\- Because the green butterfly won’t bother any newcomer anymore. I already have the one I want.  
Sho smiled, his heart filled with the purest love and joy. He embraced his own uchi no yosei, but as they were squatting, they lost balance and ended up on the ground giggling while dark stom clouds were starting to march in front of the stars.

Every now and then, trains came that brought new people to the village. But they never stayed, they only visited, bought their products and left. Sho’s mother cane to spend spring break with him. She and Asumi-san got along well and she promised she would be back every season.  
Time seemed to srop in the butterfly village and Sho learnt that it’s good to do nothing and simply live.

THE END.


End file.
